The Maritime College men's basketball team came out strong in the second half against the College at Old Westbury on Thursday night, however, the late rally wasn't enough to give the Privateers their second straight Skyline Conference win.
The game started out with fast paced basketball as the there were only two shots missed in the first three minutes and the score was knotted at seven. Both teams started to cool down in the following minutes, but a
Brendan McGovern (Seaford, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) three gave Maritime a four-point advantage with just over 14 minutes remaining in the first half. The Panthers were able to heat up though and regained the lead halfway through the first period.
The final ten minutes of the opening frame was showered by missed opportunities by the Privateers and Old Westbury took advantage and entered the locker room with 44-27 lead.
Despite the disappointing end to the first half, Maritime came out hot to begin the second half as
Damon Brown (Bronx, NY/All Hallows) converted in the paint and
Michael Walker (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) drained a three to put up five points in the first minute. The energy in Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium shifted in favor of the Privateers and they slowly began to crawl their way back into the game. With over seven minutes remaining,
Chris Ruscillo (Carle Place, N.Y./Carle Place) buried a corner three of a great kick-out by
Brennan Whelan (Northport, N.Y./Northport) and cut the lead to single digits for the first time in the half.
Maritime's zone defense continued to give Old Westbury issues and freshman guard
Mike Regan (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Anthony's) stepped up for the Privateers and nailed a crucial three-point shot with just over four minutes left to cut the advantage to six points at 69-63. On the following possession, Brown turned away a layup attempt from the Panthers and forced a shot-clock violation to give Maritime a chance at cutting the lead once again. A solid offensive possession from Maritime ended up in two free throws for Brown. After sinking the second free-throw the Old Westbury lead was at its smallest since midway through the first half.
The Panthers were finally able to break through the zone defense on the next possession, but Walker kept Maritime in the game with a nice floater along the baseline after a great pass from Whelan. With just under two minutes remaining the game and the Privateers trailing by six, they needed a stop on the next possession. Unfortunately, Old Westbury made two free throws and iced the game at 74-66 with 1:27 left to play.
McGovern led the offensive effort with 16 points, while Ruscillo added 12 off the bench. Brown was efficient in the middle for Maritime as he added 11 points on 3-4 shooting from the field. Walker chipped in nine points and seven rebounds while Whelan posted a team-high six assists.
The Privateers travel to Yeshiva University on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. for their final game of the semester. Maritime then returns home on January 3, for a Skyline matchup in Riesenberg Hall against Mount Saint Mary.
